Coupling-unlocking device.



(No Model) Patented July 3|, I900. J. WILLISON.

COUPLING UNLDGKING DEVICE.

(Application fflgd May 12, 1898.)

2 S heets-Sheet Rs Pno'roumo" waumumm-mc- No. 655,040. rammed my 31. 1900.

.1. WILLIASUN.

COUPLING UNLOCKING DEVICE. (Application filed May 12, 1898.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

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[q r WITNESSES INVENTOR Q a x Unrrnn STA -Es:

PATENT OFF-ICE.

JOHN WILLISON, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL MALLEABLE OASTINGS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE."

rcouermc uflneowlhe osvlos.

sPEcrFIcArIoN mag a @rttt rs rete tive. 655,040, dated July 31, 1900.

" {Applicants fileiMty 3.2,1898.

To all whom-it'fiuty concern-.- Be it known that I, J HN WILLISON, of Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented anew and use-. ful Improvement in Coupler-Unlocking Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 shows" in front elevation my im proved coupler-unlocking apparatus appliedto a railway-car,'the lock-lifting arm or lever being in its lowered and horizontalposition. Fig. 2 is alike view showing the lock lifting' arm elevated and the hand-lever at the right also in its-.temporarilyelevated position. Fig. 3 is a'plan view of Fig.1, a partof the' lock-lifting arm being broken away to show the mannerin which I prefer to connect the shaft with the lock-lifting arm. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the hand lifting-lever and its cam orllatch at theleft of Fig. 1. Fig. 5} is a similarview with the lifting-lever'andi lifting-arm in elevated position, the lifting lever being temporarily elevated in the act'of' raising the'lifting-arm. Thelatchis shown by full lines'in its upholding position and by" dotted lines, in its released position. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the lirie VI VI of Fig. 1, looking toward the right, the parts being in the same position as in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is'a vertical section of the lifting-leveron the line VII VII of lFig. 3. Fig.8 is a detail front elevation of one of the bracketsfor the liftin g-lever, a portion being broken away. Fig. 9 is a horizontal section on the line IX IX of Fig. 6. Fig.,10' is a rear View of a portion of the hand litting-leverL, Fig. 11. is a detail view ofthe cam or latch, "andFig. 12 i's'a detail View of the crank-arm.

In the drawings, 2 2 are the parts of the crank-shafts connected at their inner ends to a lifting-arm 3, which is journaled. to a 'cen tral bracket 4 in the mannerdescribed below. To connect the parts of the crank-shaft with said arm, I bend theirinnerends at right angles, as at 5, andfit the same in lateral sockets 6, which extend lengthwise oi the arm and are open laterally at their inner ends.

Serial N 6201512. (roman shaft as well as with two. The rear end of I the lifting-arm is formed with ahook portion 9, which fits between the pin and the ribs and constitutes the journal of the arm, and there are stops 10 and 11 on the bracket, between which the motion of the lifting-arm is limited. The lower stop 11 has a notch 12, adapted to fit a small projection or rib on the liftingarm, by which it is held steady from lateral motion when the lifting-arm is in its lower position. The'lower stop 11 is formed to engage with a shoulder on the lock-lifting arm andis so arranged as to resist a pulling-out action in case of breakage of the coupler. I The lifting-arm is connected with the lock of the coupler by a chain or other connection 24', and by lifting saidarm the lock is raised and the coupler-knuckle unlocked.

. As above stated, the inner ends of the parts 2" 2 of the crank-shaft are attached to and supported by the lifting-arm. Their outer ends are supported by brackets BB, which I will now describe. Each of these brackets has an arc-shaped slot 13, through which ex tends the end of the crankshaft, and said endis of angled form, so as to constitute a short arm 14 on the outer side oft-he bracket. The bracket is formedwitha ledge 15, directly beneath said arm, and with a projecting shoulder 16, directly above the shelf and over the end of the angled portion of the arm when the latter is lying in horizontal position. On

' theinnerside of the bracketis a pin-l7, on

which is journaled a hand-lever 1 8,fthe said arm having preferably a hooked end which engages and fits on the pin. Adjacent to or on said pin is a bearing 19, which is-eccen-.

tric to the axis of the pin and to thearc of the slot 13, and on it is journaledthe cam'20 for upholding the lifting-arm 3. hook portion 21, which is fitted on the bearing 19 inside of the lifting-lever, between the Said cam has a.

lifting-lever and the side of the bracket, and I lies in horizontal position and the lifting-le vers and crank-shaft are in the positions shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the angled ends 14 of the crank-shaft lying horizontally along the ledges 15. If now it is desired to raise the lifting-arm '3. and to.- unlock the coupler,"the

trainman grasps the lifting-lever.at. either-- side of the car and raises'it, whereupona shoulder 22 at the inner end of the lifting-lever engages the crank-shaft and raises'it in the slot 13, thereby bringing the angled portion l ifofthe shaft into engagement with the projection 16, This projection then acts as. a fulcrum on which the extension 14 of the arm tips, and the result of so lifting the shaft by the shoulder and the bearing of its extension against the fulcrum 16 gives to the end of the arm a rolling motion and turns; the crank-shaft axially, with the efiect that the lifting-arm israised and the coupler unlocked.

If at any point of elevation of the crankshaft it is desired to fasten it in elevated position, the operator raises the cam or latch 20. The'edge or face of said cam is formed eccentrically to its inner bearing. Its turning causes it to engage with the crank-shaft,

so that when the hand-lever is dropped to its vertical position the crank-shaft wedges between the outer face of the cam and the innerface of the arc-shaped slot 13, the bearinglt), on which the cam rotates, being placed eccentrically to the arc of the slot 13, so that the gravity movement of the cam and of the upheld crank -shaft causes the crank shaftand the lock-lifting armto be held rigidly at whatever elevation of the arm may be desired. After the lifting-arm has been raised the lifting-lever can be released and suffered tod-rop into a vertical position; but the lift- I ing-arm will continue to remain elevated and the coupler-lock held in unlocked position until: released, as I am now about to describe. It now it is desired to release the lock and for this purpose to cause the lifting-armto d;rop,'the trainman standing at either side of the 'car seizes the lifting-lever and raisesit until its shoulder 22 engages the crank-shaft. 7

If the lever which is raised be the'leyeron the same side of the car as that on which the latch v leasing the crank-arm.

hasbeen applied, the lifting of the crank-arm caused by the raising of; the lever will ease the pressure of-the crank-arm upon the latch and will permit the latch to drop, thereby reverraised by the trainman be on the opposite If, however, the le.-

s ide. of the car, itsengagement with thecrank shaft will cause the shaft to. turn slightly through its length, and in turning the angled extension 14 on the far side of the car will engage its ledge 15, which will lift it slightly and. by raising the crank-shaft will in that manner effect the release of the latch.

' .It will be noticed that in the use of my apparatus thec'oupler maybe latched in unlocked position by a man standing at either side of the car and that when latched it may be released at either side of the car; also, that tl 1e latch may be set to uphold the liftingarm at any degree of elevation. My invention is therefore adapted to draw-bars of any height. henthe levers are released, they will drop into dependent position, and therefore do no firuchthemotions of the train:

men. H 1

e pa s a ex remely simple and. easily fitted. The parts 2 2 are interchangeable and may be. used at either side of. the car. The crank-shaft need not extend 'fromjthe j lifting-arm at any certain angle. a It iS.there-, fore syt justts znce. he parts. of. the shaft need not be accurately in line with each jother. t j V r V g '1 It will be noticed that the lock-liftingarm s s pi ot d n nn ondit; itsbcar ns that the operation ofunlocking-the coupler {may be performed equally well with a. single Ecrank-shaft and endbracket as with double jshafts and brackets. Thelock-lifting arm and brackets illustrated in Fig, 7 vare not .es- :sential tothe h lding of the cOJlPler-loclt in iany unlocked position, asT broadly claimed The mechanism shown in Figs, 4, 5,, 6,.and 8 used with any of the existing formsoflock: lifting arm may be substituted andiwill hold the coupler-lock in an nnlockedlpositi'on if desired, i The lifting-lover shown inthe accompanyingdrawingsisadrop-lever;b11t,unlike other.

drop-levers, it is not attached to the shaft, but to the bracket. In thisrespect, asin others, I believe'my improved device ,tohpossesssuhs stantial novelty; i I

Iclaim 1 The combination ofa crank-shaft, a lifting-lever journaled, adjacently toth-e shaft and adapted to engage and raise the.same, a gravity cam; or latch, and a fulcr'umagainst which an angled portion or extension ofthe shaft bears, and which causes the shaftoto turn; substantially as described;

2. Thecombination of acrank-shafafajliftin g-lever journaled adjacently tothe shaft, a gravity cam or latch, a fulcrum againstiwhich an angled portion or extension. of the, shaft.

an angled portion or extension. of V the, shaft bears, a ledge or shelf adjacent to said extension, and an arc-shaped slot through which the shaft passes; substantially as described.

4. The combination of a crank-shaf t having an angled portion or extension 14:, a bracket having a slot through which the shaft passes; a ledge 15, afulcr'um 16 and a latch and liftin g-lever j ournaled adjacently; substantially as described.

5. A lifting-arm having a hooked end, and

a bracket having a fulcrum and an adjacent rib or shelf between which and the fulcrum the hook fits; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN WILLISON;

Witnesses:

A. P. BURCH, D. W. CALL. 

